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Introduction
Different scholars seek to determine why governments and private investors engage in a complete overhaul of a city. Breitenoder (2009, p. 104) argues that like a product, a city requires branding, rebranding, and marketing. It requires a strategic plan, and an effective communications plan to achieve the city objectives.
Prior to the development of a branding strategy, it is important to come up with a consumer oriented research proposal. A research-oriented proposal understands that the recipient of the product is very important throughout the phases of product development.
Different theories of making including sales, production, marketing company, and other models apply differently. According to Kanna (2011, p. 75), the marketing analyst, branding is an all-encompassing aspect of product launch, which influences long-term consumer perception in relation to the product or service.
He further reinforces that the most important elements for a marketer include consumers and the capital requisite for launching a successful Ad campaign. The intention of any marketer is to transform the unique selling proposition into tangible consumer benefits.
In order to achieve this, it is significant to understand and change consumer attitudes and behaviour through excellent branding techniques. People brand products to increase their aesthetic value to the customers. During city branding, important features to incorporate are elements of city planning that deter investors from associating with the metropolis.
City branding
Attwood (2014), a marketing professional and a columnist with Arabian business suggests that sometimes countries have to take major risks in order to create a city brand that will have long-term impacts on the population. Before branding a city, the government, the investors, and the citizens play different roles.
As suggested by the name, branding refers to an appraisal and upgrading process of an existing product. Attwood (2014) establishes that upgrading a product, service, or city increases consumer appeal on the commodity. There are different reasons that make branding important for different commodities.
Giesen (2014) complements the study by mentioning that one of the most hectic tasks is the successful branding of a city. Unlike a product, the face value of a city lies in the eyes of the investors and the citizens. The government only responds to the calls of improvement because it can provide oversight of procurement and expenditure for the exchequer.
(Attwood 2014) mentions that Saudi took an equally bold step in investing in its King Abdullah Economic City in order to increase access to the U.A.E and the rest of Europe. Business interests influence the decisions made towards upgrading cities. Besides commercial interests, there is an ardent need for countries to ensure that their cities are sustainable, tourist-friendly, and accessible to different regions across the world.
Targeting and segmentation of consumers during city branding
One of the most difficult branding ventures to achieve is the inability to describe a product. How then is it possible to dispense the right approach to city launch and marketing if the brand does not affiliate to a particular product? Dubai’s H1 2013 visitor stats top the charts (2014) strives to answer the question using the most intellectual approach to marketing.
According to the author, the product is the cutting edge that determines the initial attitude of the target consumer. The brand’s packaging and positioning make it possible for a consumer to make a first purchase and to make a repeat purchase. Brands build loyalty or consumer defection depending on the effect they have on the target consumer.
Dubai’s H1 2013 visitor stats top the charts (2014) takes a particular interest in Dubai as the product requisite of branding. The scholar explores its infrastructure, tourism, economic system, law, technology, and education and the list is endless. In at least each element identified in the research, the author found out an element that required improvement or emulation. Dubaization: Brand-Dubai (2011) singles out Dubai from other U.A.E countries.
The article complements the country’s transport infrastructure and the real estate business. However, Dubai’s H1 2013 visitor stats top the charts (2014) shows concerns for the increasing costs of the skyscrapers and the near real estate bubble that might influence the way people see and acquire the product. The same author identifies that the education system requires an overhaul in order for the children to understand English before they are 15 years old.
This way, they can get temporary employment before joining college. They can contribute towards economic development while promoting economic growth. Dubai Branding Process (2014) shows optimism for Dubai’s economy since in the past 2 decades, the U.A.E countries display solidarity and tremendous economic growth. Oil and gas should not be the only element that the countries entirely depend on in order to progress economically.
Consumer behaviour
When carrying out research, each marketer aims at developing a positive hypothesis in which the results will match the questions raised. Parkerson and Saunders (2005, p. 242) provide different types of consumer behaviour and the factors that influence such actions.
Customers choose to remain loyal to a product, they defect, or they make a repeat action. The behaviour depends on their expectations and the achievement of the same through the unique selling proposition. In the U.A.E, it is difficult to notice a country unless it explores diverse markets in a unique way.
The customers in this case are foreign countries especially in East Asia, and Europe. The close business ties developed between the continents during the fight for the Persian Gulf remain relevant to date. Each country in the U.A.E seeks to establish a long-term business network in order to invest in other countries, contribute effectively to economic growth, and to provide jobs to the citizens.
To determine consumer behaviour, product developers focus on four marketing elements including place, product, promotion, price, and people. Consumers are the people that the product targets, and proximity or farness of a place determines whether a consumer will make a repeat sale or not.
Attwood (2014) mentions that Dubai has a port along the Red Sea’s shore, which links it to other western countries and the U.A.E. In 2005, it showed prospects of rechanneling the seaport to link Saudi Arabia through the short King Abdullah Economic City port. The new seaport offers better business prospects as opposed to other seaports within the region.
The intention is to reduce time spent in shipping, and to woo customers who give much value to place and price. Naturally, when the distance travelled with commodities is limited, the cost of production and distribution reduce, and this influences the price of the product. An assessment of the consumer behaviour has a direct link to the way foreign countries respond to the branding of a city.
Dubai’s H1 2013 visitor stats top the charts (2014) argues that once a city decides to improve its transport network, the foreign governments that relate to it perceive good economic relations. On the other hand, countries, which focus on improving the tourism sector, aim at wooing foreign direct investment through entertainment. In essence, city branding is largely more productive as opposed to consumables.
As such, customers visit cities that offer tangible product benefits evidenced by political, social, technological, and social development. The U.A.E countries including Qatar and Saudi Arabia enjoy good relations with Dubai because Dubai delivers the consumer expectations through a stable political environment of investment and good economic policies. As a brand, the city has it foreign policies that influence relationships within and outside the U.A.E.
Dubai’s significance in the UAE framework
The U.A.E countries came together in the 1980s after acquiring the Persian Gulf from colonialist powers. Known as the Trucial States, the U.A.E countries had to fight for the rich oil and gas belt along the Red Sea shore. By 1853, Dubai had to sign the Perpetual Maritime Truce, which earned the Great Britain the responsibility of securing the Trucial States.
The Great Britain was difficult to trust with such magnitudes of political responsibility. Hourani (2002, p. 20), notes that an anthropologist keenly studies Bur Dubai as an oil rich resident of most Arabs stricken by smallpox. He also shares the stories of Deira, a place of refuge in which the Dubai citizens sought in order calm from the pandemic.
The same place caught fire leading to the death of many Dubai citizens, but it was business as usual. It was in 1841 that Dubai realised its potential among the Trucial States. The country made it possible to embark on commercial activities irrespective of the two major bouts that affected its economy. The U.A.E requires countries that show an obvious interest for economic development and resilience even in the most difficult socioeconomic difficulties.
According to Breitenoder (2009, p. 103), Dubai still upholds the pace of economic growth by always incorporating new elements that can increase access to the country from the West. Currently, the country invests in internet technology to support its commercial ventures. Technology is fast and ubiquitous, and unlike physical transport, people can carry out business transactions over long distances in a limited period.
Unlike the conservative Middle East economies, Dubai strives to incorporate capitalist principles of marketing and business management in order to increase access to new business frontiers across the world. Buhalis and Darcy (2011, p. 38) show concerns for religious and civic culture, which are likely to influence brand positioning of Dubai to the rest of the world.
Excellent branding of its tourism and the real estate sectors are very important in erasing the ideology from the minds of the target consumers. It also make Dubai different from other U.A.E countries including Bahrain since it is the sole state that attracts foreigners from the west to the U.A.E. Breitenoder (2009, p. 103) analyses the significance of oil and gas to the U.A.E.
But he mentions that non-English speaking countries have difficulties in relating with foreigners. Dubai supports English as a second language for its expatriates, which remains very significant for the development of the U.A.E at large.
The history of Dubai and its need for branding
Each city is a brand like any other product. Its face value reduces through history and it is very important to focus on strategies that would make the product appealing to the target audiences. Cozmiuc (2011) argues that the history of product development determines the response it will have in the market and its significance to the target consumers.
When the Trucial States existed, there were different caliphates that strived for recognition. Islamic periods characterised by the introduction and the fall of the Umayyad Empire gave a completely new view of the religion and the principles it supported.
Cozmiuc (2011) mentions that countries associated with the Islamic period had to fight for recognition, and it explains the increase in Muslim extremist cases. Breitenoder (2009, p. 113) traces Dubai’s inception to 1905, and the first activity associated with the country is fishing, which generates income. Cozmiuc (2011) establishes that the first function of a product becomes its signature strength and it becomes very difficult to dissociate the product from its functionality.
Historical artefacts determine that the people of Dubai majorly depended on trading activities for survival. After forming the United Arab Emirates in 1971, Dubai made the best decision for joining the act of union with other member states including Abu Dhabi and Fujairah among others.
The transition is also part of a branding strategy that sought to make Dubai independent from the British rule (Smith and Abu 2013). In marketing, a product that operates independently wins consumer goodwill because various authorities can take responsibility for any losses or gain. A series of activities make Dubai one of the best tourist destinations in the 21st century.
The country channelled most income from the oil and gas business into tourism and economy building. Commerce is the backbone of Dubai, and many people would actually go to the country on a shopping spree or holiday. Cozmiuc (2011) agrees with Peng (2014, p. 10) that product history defines its future, but during product development, the strategic plan should also address risks.
Dubai has many skyscrapers including the worlds’ tallest the Burj Khalifa. However, building the economy and the stable monarchy was not easy. The country faced criticism for boundary disputes during its establishment. The U.A.E countries each want to develop and disputes are likely to occur in relation to border encroachment.
For instance, the disputed Jebel Ali port created conflicts between the U.A.E states and Dubai over encroachment of import and export activities of Dubai into other nations. Consequently, the Gulf War and Invasion into Iraq form some historical transitions that made Dubai the rich country it is today. Dubai uses communication and religious policies to solve its conflicts. Effective and efficient communication remains very significant during product development, packaging, and branding.
Peng (2014, p. 12) talks about communication, but Morgan, Lugosi, and Ritchie (2010, p. 63) reinforces on the significance of developing a comprehensive communication plan when branding. Dubai is still in the process of transformation even when it seems perfect to the rest of the world.
The way the country interacts with people through the various foreign policies and commercial ventures determine the reception it receives from the rest of the society. Arguably, Dubai cannot survive without effective communication. People depend on in-house communication to know the new productions they should expect in the market.
Irrespective of the insignificance of a stakeholder, communication is critical for project progress. Morgan et al. (2010, p. 60) mention that the project coordinators often accomplish effective communication through relevant procedures and tools. The author accredits computer-mediated communication since it serves the purpose of effectiveness in the current day and age.
He also compliments face-to-face communication, which seems to lose relevance in the 21st century. According to morgan et al. (2010, p. 63), a comprehensive communication plan covers many areas including a Communication Plan Matrix, a Stakeholder Analysis, a conflict resolution plan, and communicational methods.
The tools and methods of communication have to align to the project and company objectives, vision, and mission. The stakeholders have different capabilities, expectations, and interests in the project. To fulfil the unique interest, it is important to face each phase of the project with the right communication tool.
Initially, Dubai had an overwhelming interest in improving its real estate sector. Today, much focus is on tourism, which complements the oil and gas industry. Critics do not fail to recognise the deterrents to progress including labour disputes as recorded by various expatriates who seek job opportunities from third world states to the U.A.E (Dinnie 2011).
In essence, a comprehensive communication plan serves different functions for products because it markets, creates, and brand positions the product in the target market. Dubai has a worldwide reach meaning that the effective communication should be capable of branding its tourism sector beyond the East Asian region, the Persian Gulf, and the Middle East to the rest of the world.
Case studies
Different countries across the U.A.E and other continents undergo different phases of improvement in order to generate a unique appeal to the target populations. Saudi Arabia and Indi are in the process of improving their transport infrastructure while developing contemporary economic cities to accommodate the growing citizen populations.
Besides reducing the physical space of occupation, the projects aim at brand positioning the countries of the rest of the world. Dubai has many things to learn from different countries including Singapore, Saudi, and China.
Branding Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is in the process of branding both the economy and the geographic surrounding through a megaproject. Each U.A.E city rivals the other in order to have access to the greatest number of foreigners transiting through the Red Sea ports. While Dubai responded to the call for the 2020 exposition of countries across the world in November 2013, Saudi began a rebranding project in 2005.
King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is a contemporary project that might end in 2020 and it will cost between USD $86 billion and USD 100 billion. KAEC will open up Saudi to Jeddah, Mecca, and the UK. To the North, KAEC borders Jeddah and it takes about 1 hour to move from one end to the other. According to (Bouee 2011, p. 49), the project will occupy about 173 km2.
Currently, the team is in the process of finishing the first stage of the project that King Abdulaziz flagged off 9 years ago. The King Abdullah Port (KAP) has links from other U.A.E countries including Dubai, Bahrain, and Kuwait among others.
Political, civic, and economic factors influence each stage of product development, but the Saudi government displays optimism in the successful completion of the KAEC by the end of 2020. Matters of religion and culture are under discourse because the project aims at creating a communal meeting place for the people of the U.A.E and the rest of the world.
In the residential, retail businesses, and industrial ventures, the Saudi community seeks to influence the attitudes of investors towards the country. In each strategic management plan, consumer oriented products always succeed because the marketers seek the opinions of the consumers prior to product launch (Smith and Abu 2013).
Dubai is in the course of linking Jebel Port to KAP because Dubai only has economic interests in the country. Dubai has to learn marketing tactics from the Saudi government, which employs expatriates for purposes of enhancing foreign relations.
The country should consider developing economy cities for the growing youthful population. JKAP is like any other project in Dubai’s expo 2020 and Dubai has an opportunity to explore such markets and understand the principles they use to attract huge number of tourists even when they do not have excellent technological or transport infrastructure.
Waltz Disney in Singapore and China
The austere commercial environment of Singapore seeks to open up to new ventures in the future. Currently, plans are underway for the country to embrace one of the largest production houses in the world. First, the country deals with challenges of reinforcing the English culture while ensuring that people do not lose their religious and social values.
Dubai also has similar concerns even though the country is less likely to accommodate foreign investments. All it tries to do is to place itself as the best destination for the rest of the world through imports, exports, and virtual businesses instead of hosting foreign businesses. Ahead of Singapore, Kula Lumpur, and Bangkok, China decided to embrace the Disney Walt culture in the late 1990s.
In 2002, the same company sought to venture into the Singaporean government, which was a very difficult step. However, after establishing a niche market in China, Disney would not have a hard time succeeding in China. China remains a very conservative market completely dependent on the doctrines of Eastern religions. The Orthodox Church had a difficult time operating in China for a similar reason.
China decided to create an environment in which both locals and foreigners could share the popular culture. Breitenoder (2009, p. 83) argues that Waltz Disney introduced the Hollywood culture to the people of China and Singapore while the communities shared their Eastern religions.
Singapore was a good target market because Singaporeans speak English as a second language. In addition, the country participates in renowned socio-cultural expositions to market the country, its people, and commodities. The movie and song production industry is an excellent form of medium of marketing because the industry has a global outreach.
The marketing technique assumes a relationship-based model in which Singapore takes its culture to the rest of the world through multimedia (LEWIS 2003, p. 24). Dubai can take a similar opportunity by embracing movie production and the animation culture supported by technological advancements in the U.A.E.
Dubai has an established economic and political structure, and it only needs an excellent marketing avenue to place its Burj AL-Arab brand to the right market. Through a good communication plan and an excellent marketing plan, Dubai can achieve its brand prospects without duress.
Creating value in Dubai
Marketing tools are vital for brand positing products across the world. Alavi, Kayworth, and Leidner (2006, p. 192) argue that marketers have the responsibility of conducting a situational analysis in order to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of product launch. Its strength in the construction industry faced a bout during the 2008 and 2011 global crises that affected other areas of the country’s economies.
Dubai had to embrace the opportunity to showcase it tourist destinations to the world in attempt to find an activity that would complement its oil and gas industry. In summary, Dubai is a rich country, but it also needs to brand position itself in the competitive global markets in order to get returns for its investments.
Tepeci (2009, p. 131) analyses the tourism sector in Dubai. According to the scholar, the country invests in excellent transport infrastructure, recreational sector, and wildlife including the hospitality industry. On the other hand, it does not approach the target markets by launching some of the best hotels it has in other countries.
Instead, it has the best constructions and airport services, but the country waits for consumers. Alavi et al. (2006, p. 196) take a professional approach to the issue. He establishes that Dubai creates brand that aims at attracting people. The brand seeks recognition by staying within the confines of the country.
Countries like Singapore and Malaysia constantly carry out tourism expos in order to expose their curios, tourist destination sites, and hotels. Dubai is in the process of packaging a brand while waiting for its 2020 expo, which will determine how strong the Dubai brand remains within and outside the U.A.E.
Dubai’s Burj AL-Arab brand
Brand designers always support the development of a unique brand in order to ensure survival in a rivalled market. Dynamism and diversity are inevitable when dealing in a competitive environment. Burj AL-Arab uniquely identifies Dubai in the U.A.E because normally a five star hotel attracts people to other countries.
Dubai’s Burj AL-Arab is a 7 star hotel whose strategic plan is to extend boundaries beyond the U.E. A. Morrison (2013, p. 29) acknowledges that tourism in the 21st century largely depends on the highest level of luxury a facility can offer at the most affordable price in the market. Consumer needs keep changing, and it is important to respond to such concerns.
In the recent past, one of the favourite socialite family members visited Dubai on vacation, and this created a very different view of the country. From the U.S. Miami to Dubai for shopping and tourism was sufficient reason for the renowned Kim Kardashian. Morrison (2013, p. 31) mentions that uniqueness and consistency in delivery are the secrets of dealing with suppliers, rivals, and customers.
In essence, it is important to reduce the costs of procurement and increase the amount the customers spend when purchasing a product. Dubai’s Burj AL-Arab mostly targets the affluent tourists who visit Dubai. Morrison (2013, p. 34) also theorises the situation in Dubai through the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Audience identification and segmentation in Dubai mostly focuses on the consumers that have prospects of achieving self-actualisation.
Dubai perceives a transformation of its tourism sector into a major income generator, and game-changer of the 21st century. Almost everyone wants to have access to the Burj Khalifa and Burj AL-Arab, but the facilities have expensive hotel suites and accommodation costs.
Peh and Low (2013, p. 62) discuss the development of a functional strategic plan to address the different problems faced by tourism sectors across the world. The author mentions that a marketer should be capable of distinguishing between the needs and wants of the consumers.
Consumer oriented hospitality sectors across the world are capable of providing unique and diverse services to customers. Factors that drive the changes in service delivery include quality, price, place, people, product, and sales promotion. When the sales promotion consumers a lot of resource, then the additional costs have to complement the product packaged for consumption.
According to Peh and Low (2013, 67), the country has different products and services to offer in its tourism package. The seven star group of hotels invested in parts of the U.A.E mostly target the affluent families within and outside the Middle East. The hotels target consumers who prefer 5 to 7 start hotels in the region, but most clients come from foreign countries. Dubai has a long way to go in terms of brand positioning especially on matters of diversification and improvement of the hospitality industry.
Dubai City Branding
Dubai remains the most renowned city of the U.A.E. Its capital Abu Dhabi is home to many facilities including the Etihad Airways, Boeing, Burj Khalifa, and Strata Manufacturing among other conglomerates and sceneries. Dubai chose to brand itself using Burj AL-Arab because it needs to extend its business ventures beyond the U.A.E.
Strata’s aerospace hub (2014) affirms that Dubai enjoys a stardom status within the U.A.E., and it needs to explore foreign ventures in order to gauge its performance at the global level. Burj AL-Arab is a good brand, but it is very expensive because most Dubai manufactured products are naturally costly.
As a product, Dubai has all the qualities of marketing such as people, place, and promotion, but it lacks the element of price. In sales and marketing, it is important to create a marketing mix in order to achieve the best results during branding. Strata’s aerospace hub (2014) recognises Burj AL-Arab as the only product that brand positions Dubai in the rivalled tourism environment.
The product is unique and of high quality, and it would probably attract the quality driven consumers. However, price sensitive customers would opt for Kuwait and Bahrain that offer relatively affordable tourist destination sites and facilities.
Bhaskaran and Sukumaran (2007, p. 55) envision Dubai, which offers exquisite and affordable tourism services. Besides offshore and hotel services, Dubai seeks to explore wildlife as an income generating tourism venture. The intention is to influence consumer perception towards product delivery through its 2020 expo.
This notwithstanding the possibility of changing country logo to suit consumer needs. Dubai has strict anti- pork eating and non-alcoholism policies. It means that visitors have to adhere to such policies irrespective of their socio-economic lifestyles and the freedoms they tourists enjoy in their countries of origin (Martinez 2011, p. 369).
Additionally, Dubai’s conservative religious culture discourages some non-Muslims from visiting the country for fear of extremist Muslims who would harass them while on vacation. Stringent religious doctrines known to affect tourism require proper legal and religious attention from relevant authorities. In Dubai, the Sharia law and the Khadhi courts protect the sanctity of each citizen.
It means that the foreigners also need protection from strict principles governing the land. Foreigners need protection because they earn Dubai income through tourism. Bhaskaran and Sukumaran (2007, p. 67) further investigate the impact of Dubai’s association on the tourism sector. According to the scholar, the U.A.E has a lot of growth potential. Two years ago (2012) the cities recorded commercial profit of about USD $ 130 million.
Normally countries suffer from debts from the IMF and the World Bank including other credit facilities. Dubai is the richest, but the most debt bound among the U.A.E countries and it needs to connect interpersonally with other cities in order to manage its debt effectively.
Three years ago in November, entered the 2020 U.A.E trade expo, which seeks to exposition different countries globally for the efforts they make towards sustainable business practices. The activities under scrutiny include transport, education, tourism, technology, and governance among some elements of culture. Dubai’s involvement in the 2020 exposition will be of great significance to the country.
According to the Bureau International des Expositions Dubai has a good infrastructure that would make its economy flourish through tourism. Janssens, Wijnen, Pelsmacker, and Kenhove (2008, p. 18) argue that branding occurs after market identification and complete product development. Dubai is a product that is ready for consumer use, but one significant factor stands out.
Dubai is an expensive place to promote FDI and to visit on a tourist mission. Dubai has a master’s plan for the 2020 expo, which will place the product to the right market. Inability to link a product to the right market affects the product performance. If Dubai takes advantage of the expo rolled out in 2013, it will be capable of understanding its target market perfectly in order to avoid any losses (Govers and Go 2009, p. 90).
Opportunities for growth and brand sustainability
Moore (2004, p. 196) investigates the processes that either propel or deter the growth of Dubai as a product requisite of brand positioning. Besides investment in quality housing and transport infrastructure, Dubai offers transit between the Persian Gulf and the UK. Hong Kong and the UK depend on the Jebel seaport in order to access other regions of the U.A.E for business ventures.
Moore (2004) mentions that Dubai should take advantage of the opportunity to promote its tourism sector to the rest of Europe. The terminals along the Red Sea across the shores link over 60 million Europeans and East Asian residents every year. With this in mind, Dubai can transform its tourism into a lucrative business venture.
Across the world, Dubai is the sixth most populated country by cargo ships meaning that many people visit the Jebel port for commercial purposes. Janssens et al. (2008, p. 19) complement Moore (2004) and she insists that Dubai had the best link between Africa and the West until China took advantage of the opportunity to market its technology and tourism to Africa. Africa has a great growth potential with target markets. Inexhaustible opportunities exist in Africa and only China had the boldness to explore the open economic system.
Bazerman and Don (2009, p. 16) take an interest in brand positioning Dubai through software development, the movie industry, and biotechnology. The U.A.E has the potential of investing in movie production in order to expose its skyscrapers and other tourist destinations through the media.
Like Singapore, the country can take advantage of ABC Ltd, Walt Disney, or Paramount. Hollywood became a renowned destination for movie production and Disney World enjoys the status it has because of extensive media coverage. According to Sirkeci (2013, p. 27), a marketer understands his or her product perfectly. In order to attract mass attention, the marketer incorporates multimedia.
The U.A.E already invests in excellent technology and movie production industry, which Dubai should embrace. People rarely relate with Arabic songs and movies because there are limited efforts made towards translation and increment of awareness to the rest of the world. Ordinarily, no consumer would buy a strange product or service.
Tourism destination branding
Cross selling is the objective of any marketer who places a product in a competitive environment. Marketing experts incorporate different strategies in brand positioning a product in the target market. According to Isaac, marketers in the tourism and hospitality industry have no other option, but to engage in relationship marketing.
Known for its transactional marketing technique, there is little that Dubai can do to achieve its objective because the style of marketing only recognises a short-term encounter between a product and the customer. Branding Dubai as a tourist destination is a collective function of the government, the ministry of tourism, and the residents of Dubai.
Sirkeci (2013, p. 28) mentions that each strategic plan has marketing approaches that are in line with the expectations of the target market in relation to the product benefits. According to the author, Dubai should maximize on its tourism potential in order to win the goodwill of people beyond the U.A.E. For instance, Burj al-Arab is a unique product developed by costly resources.
It took an equally long period to construct the costly Jebel port, but it does not guarantee expensive service delivery. In marketing, companies assume different approaches that suit the needs of the target population. Peng (2014, p. 9) supports Sirkeci (2013, p. 31) who promotes the development of high-end hotels that remain affordable to the middle-income earners across the U.A.E. region.
At the end of the day, Dubai needs to focus on the price and place strategy. In essence, it should take the tourism benefits to the target population instead of waiting for customers to visit the country. It includes provision of the Burj al-Arab brand in different parts of the world while ensuring that the cost of enjoying the services of the hospitality industry correlate with the income levels of the target population.
For instance, Burj al-Arab in Bahrain should capture the income levels of the community before setting the prices. The same should happen to the brand in China and South Africa. The authors agree that at different stages of human development, each person seeks to acquire self-actualisation, which is difficult to attain.
Price sensitive customers also seek to enjoy the excellence in service delivery from the brand, whose prices should range from one region to another. Destination branding concerns relationship marketing in which the product has to reach the target consumer irrespective of the obstacles involved in the marketing process.
Management of tourist destinations and meeting customer expectations
Each brand sells within the region of establishment, and its success within the small region gives optimism for the product success in other countries. Burj al-Arab brand is successful in the U.A.E., and Dubai should change from the transactional to relationship marketing strategy in order to capture the greatest audience attention. In a rivalled environment, quality delivery remains inevitable.
Timely delivery and observance of consumer aesthetics also form part of the branding process. Clearly, each brand needs a level of recognition in order for it to perform independently in a competitive environment. The author suggests that separation of a brand from the rival products or services is important because it offers an opportunity for the target consumers to relate with the product or service at an interpersonal level.
Customers require effective communication through social media, news releases, and foreign direct investment, which Dubai rarely considers important for growth. Dubai’s tourism sector needs to learn from other game changers in the market because confining projects such as Burj al-Arab brand within the U.A.E only poses harm than good to the country.
Customers are always right and they deserve the requisite attention from marketers and product manufacturers. Dubai’s ministry of tourism should understand that when people use the UAE ports for transit during business, they expect to stay in the cities for a particular period before going back home. Without affordability or respect to other socio-cultural values of the visitors, it becomes almost impossible to woo tourists and the large investor community. Dubaization: Brand-Dubai (2011) approaches the topic from a different angle.
The article has an interest in the way different customers respond to products that meet their expectations. According to Dubaization: Brand-Dubai (2011), there are visitors that are naturally difficult to impress. It means that the Dubai government and ministry of tourism have to work extra hard and finance different even organisers who will take an interest in the activities of foreigners within the U.A.E.
Dubai is home to sports personalities, business personnel, and tourists among other people. They need accommodation; gym facilities, entertainment, and cuisine that make them feel the difference of being in a new country. In addition, the visitors do not expect many cultural changes in terms of religious bias or interference with their social lives.
Transforming into world’s most sought tourist destination
Lee (2009, p. 235) does not dispute Dubai’s ability to change its logo, but she reinforces on the significance of strategy change as opposed to image transformation. First, Dubai cannot operate well if indebted to banks and the public through investment in treasury. An element of the strategy change that can help Dubai overcome its challenges is the incorporation of public relations during branding.
Public relations, which is still at its infancy in the country assists many countries in establishing good political and social relations. The marketing element is equally helpful in creating links between individuals and corporate organisations. The service oriented hospitality industry requires Dubai to assess the 4Ps of marketing while employing all the elements of the marketing mix.
Kennedy (2004, p. 182) supports the development of a support system for the existing infrastructure in Dubai, which includes an international airport offering transit between the U.A.E. and London. In summary, Dubai needs a behaviour and attitude change in order to transform the tourism sector into a masterpiece for subsequent generations.
Attitude change mostly has a lot to do with changing consumer perception about the austere religious environment in Dubai. Consequently, it is important to conduct civic education so that the locals will learn to be friendly to visitors since it would lengthen their stay in Dubai.
The authors find a lot of potential for Dubai to deal with the national debt by maximising on the tourism industry. It does not have to borrow to pay debts; rather, it has a good tourism network, an oil pipeline, and an excellent real estate infrastructure that will propel the economy of the country.
References
Alavi, M., Kayworth, T. R., and Leidner, D. E. 2006, ‘An empirical examination of the influence of organizational culture on knowledge management practices’, Journal of management information systems, vol. 22, no. 3, pp.191-224.
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